farming: 10-4 on your success this year. That's great. Just a couple of quick questions...
Since you used hay, did you prepare your bales any differently than I did the wheat straw, i.e., using ammonium nitrate or any nitrogen-based ingredient?
Did your bales heat up?
Are they decomposing/shrinking alot?
Did you have any problems with alot of sprouts from hay or weed seeds?
Kent
Straw Bale Gardening - Part 5
Going up North tomorrow, and as I pass through N.C. I shall be looking out for people with straw bales, and I will know it's all of you! I am looking forward to seeing your part of the country, only seen Florida so far! very flat, will be nice to see different terrain, different plantings, and possibly a different way of life.
seemama: Enjoy your trip and be sure to get some good NC Pork BBQ (is there any other?); Smithfield's Chicken & BBQ has some of the best considering they are a chain. Their hot dogs are great, too!
Kent
seemama - I wish I could be your guide - that would be fun. You will definitely be seeing a different part of the country.
Ages ago I was standing in the Boston airport waiting to find out how they were going to get us home since our plane was kaput. A couple from Scotland I believe had a map of the entire US spread out talking about where they were going to go. I was eavesdropping and he was telling her they had 4 days in the US and he had a business meeting in Boston but since they had these extra days they should go see America while they were here. She said she'd like to see California and he thought Texas would be interesting. They were plotting out to drive from Boston to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and then down to TX, to CA and then back to Boston in time for the meeting. In 4 days.
My comment that it was 3000 miles to CA was very unwelcome and they told me that they were experienced travelers thank you very much. What could I say? Have a good time! Having a bit of trouble comverting miles to Km I think. Anyway - have a good trip and stop in the small towns too.
Seemama how long do you have? I hope you have enough time to do some side trips and sightseeing. This time of year should be beautiful anywhere you go.
Jeanette
Hi Kent,
I have responded to your questions below:
farming: 10-4 on your success this year. That's great. Just a couple of quick questions...
1 - Since you used hay, did you prepare your bales any differently than I did the wheat straw, i.e., using ammonium nitrate or any nitrogen-based ingredient?
**I used the same 10 day process – used organic cotton seed meal instead of ammonium nitrate. Also used organic fertilizer & compost tea. After reading the bale gardening forums 1 & 2 I realize using hay bales we do not need to do the whole process – next year I will water for 10-14 days, use compost tea, add fertilizer and then plant.
2 - Did your bales heat up?
**Yes – very nicely.
3 - Are they decomposing/shrinking alot?
**I used some older bales that decomposed a lot, and some new bales that kept their shape somewhat. I retied the bales with plastic twine since the rope twine broke almost immediately. I will not be able to reuse any bales for planting next year.
4 - Did you have any problems with alot of sprouts from hay or weed seeds?
**As far as I can tell not any more than with straw bales. On some of the bales there is a little bit of grass, but I have not had to do any trimming so far.
The one thing that seemed to make a big difference this summer is putting dirt around the plant in the bale, which we did with our second group in August. Our plants with dirt are much happier and require less attention/fertilizer.
Kent, I went to a yard sale this weekend and bought an unopened, 5# bag of 46-0-0. Do you think I should just use it the same way next year?
Jeanette
farming: thanks for the good info in response to my questions
Jeanette: Is this a stronger ammonium nitrate?
If it is, I would probably cut back some on the recipe instead of the 1/2 cup on the 1st 3 days and then maybe a little less than 1/4 cup for the final run.
One thing I still haven't learned is who came up with the 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup recipe when using ammonium nitrate. What is the optimum amount to use?
I've been happy with the "original recipe", but I'm still curious.
If your product is NOT ammonium nitrate, then check a small amount and see how water-soluble it is.
One thing I have adjusted my thinking on is the 11 day process. I think that is probably the LEAST amount of time you would want to prep before transplanting based on how I've watched these bales decompose over the last 2 years.
Next year, since I don't use any additional potting mix/dirt around my plants, I'm going to do the regular prep, but wait until around the 15 - 20th day before transplanting, just to give those bales more time to become a more inviting host for my plants, i.e., a little more decomposed.
Who knows, I may even try some bales with some potting mix just to see for myself how those plants fare -vs- the ones without.
Kent
I used composted potting mix from the previous year to stuff the cracks when I planted - which I saw worked very well to help the little plants get going.
I saw a difference between bales from different sources - the newer stiffer bales didn't decompose as fast and the plants took longer to get going.
I prepped my bales the first few days of May and planted on May 30. I could stick my hands into the bales and they came out with the beginnings of compost on them. I think its a good idea to prep and then let the bales stand some extra time before planting.
PS I took my 3rd bushel of tomatoes out a few days ago. Been learning salsa recipes and tonight we're having tomato pie
I think next year I will use potting mix. I certainly cannot complain about the tomatoes I got this year tho. I have never been able to grow good tomatoes here and I am now making sauce etc. and all the BLTs we can stand. LOL
I do think the weather had something to do with it too. Also, I had plastic on the hoophouse over the tomatoes right up until the end of June. So, I would think all of these together maybe did it.
The weather was pretty hot early and for quite a while.
Jeanette
Kent, it says "Northwest urea 46-0-0". It came from Northwest Pet and Seed, a very popular outlet in Spokane, Washington.
I also got 5# of sulfur and just realized it is a granular rather than a powder which I had wanted for my dahlia tubers. What can I do with this?
Jeanette
Jeanette: I don't have a clue about sulfur or urea. Farmer Dill or others familiar with these can probably give an answer.
I made this fresh tomato soup tonight - went over very well with the whole family. Instead of the rice I pureed 4 small baking potatoes with it in the blender and thickened it with that.
I also did not seed or chop the tomatoes - just dumped them in the pot whole and simmered them down. Then ran the whole thing thru the blender a bit at a time.
Served with a big spoonful of low fat sour cream at the bottom of the bowl, soup poured on top, salt and pepper to taste along with a sprinkle of grated Asiago and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
http://southernfood.about.com/od/tomatoes/r/bl90731b.htm
Sounds good Alyrics. Now is the time to use them in all kinds of good ways 'cause it won't be long and we will be waiting a real long time again.
Jeanette
For my winter corp here in Florida I am trying a new product to see if I can keep good production and cut my use of fertilizers. I have used this stuff on other things with great results. The product/s are by Turf Pro USA. they are organic and harmless to pets. I was able to get a bag of their new dry product and have used it on the bails. Will tell you in mid winter how it works.
Hew-eeee. Been off work gettiing over pneumonia, and have spent 3+days (and a night maybe) reading through all 5 parts of this thread. This is some story here.
Am a brand new gardener (well 6 tomato plants is a start, isn't it? They didn't all die). And have been looking for a less expensive way to get started next spring with something bigger. This looks like the ticket to me. The house I rent as a dirt pan side yard that won't even grow hackle burrs.
Around here the hay growers usually have a few bales of "spoiled hay" or "sour hay" around each year. Its just bales that have gotten wet. Free for the taking. Built a dog house out of some last year.
Hope you folks keep this going, I have had a great time reading.
God bless you all,
oldklingon
oldklingon: welcome aboard! A yard that won't even grow "hackle berries"; now that's a tough customer for sure, but I think bale gardening will do the trick for you.
I haven't been to Colorado since I was stationed at Lowry AFB in Denver as a young Sailor in 1980. I was there for 10 weeks at a school I had to attend. Friendly folks. Had a blast.
I hope your health returns to full strength soon.
Kent
This message was edited Sep 23, 2006 9:30 PM
To all you nice people and thanks for all comments etc. regarding my trip - it was fantastic! We drove from here to Florence SC and stayed one night there, then on to Arlington for 3 nights, had a guided tour all around DC, so clean and such a good tour guide, then we took ourselves off to Smithsonian Zoo, saw hummingbirds whizzing in the flowers, and an Orang Utan walking on ropes overhead, that day was much warmer, DC tour was raining all day, so it was up & down umbrellas! next stop E.Rutherford NJ for 4 nights, bus was outside the door of the hotel, and off we went into NY, first day just looking where we were, 2nd & 3rd on an open topped Grayline tours uptown, downtown, Brooklyn etc. we had tickets to go into Liberty and up to the pedestal, we couldn't go to Ellis Island we were too tired, 4th day we went back and went up the Empire State, Yes we were impressed with the buildings, I used to live on 17th Floor in London UK, and that was high for there, but nothing like 86th floor! next stop was Virginia Beach now we had never heard anything or read anything about Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel, so when we had to pay $12 we wondered why so high, we found out, that is one amazing piece of engineering, and yet never mentioned in guide books, we thoroughly enjoyed the crossing and was quite happy about the $12, well worth it. The last night we came to Charleston SC. That is such a pretty place we want to go back again and spend more time. Eventually arriving home to find another Plumeria blooming. As for the Scots people who knew it all about travelling, well I am sure they do now!
We had never driven such distances before and tried to keep to around 400 miles a day, and changing places after 1 1/2 hours. I had seen London traffic where it had taken me more than 2 hours to cross from east to west about 14 miles, but NY/NY was something else, the tour bus drivers deserve medals! I did see straw bales on the side of the road being loaded onto lorries, and I had it in mind to pull over, but my husband wasn't too keen on that idea! I actually saw cotton growing too, something quite new to me. There are many more things I would like to go and see, but they will have to wait for a while. I met some interesting people on my journey, a giant of a man from Texas, and a lady from Arizona they told me about their states, also met a lady at the top of the Empire State from where I used to live, it's getting to be a very small world. Yes we did stop and look at ground Zero, very sad moment. Kent sorry no pork for me, but had some very good fish and lamb. Once again thank you all for your kind thoughts. Madeleine
The okra that keeps on giving! I think I saw this plant in "Little Shop of Horrors"!
Collards doing well.
Collard close-up.
Cap added for size comparison.
Any questions, please D-mail me.
Kent
Hi Strawbaleman,
For space efficiency, could I place two bales right next to each other, and kind of treat it as a square foot garden of sorts? I am looking forward to trying straw bales next season!
LOL Kent, you lost me on the size comparison 'cause I don't klnow what Collards are, or what that little guy is.
Jeanette
HI All
Still harvesting tomatoes.....! Sure took a long time to get the production started but they are still coming. I brought home a little more than a half bushel of various types last week. Rutgers, Early Girl, San Marzano, Yellow Pear, Sweet 100's, Beefmaster, Roma.
There are a couple threads going on the Tomato Forum on tomatos you would and wouldn't plant again. The Rutgers have a great taste, and the San Marzano's on going on my good list forever as a paste and salsa tomato. Very prolific too. The Yellow Pear's are cute but you have to pick them early and let them ripen or mine are splitting. But they are good for kids lunchboxes and gifts because they are a little unique. I heard the restaurants are clamoring for them but the plants are enormous compared to the production.
I also planted a yellow globe type tomato that never bore a single fruit. Can't remember the variety.
Kent - we need T-Shirts - Those hats give me hat hair.
essentialplanet - absolutely you can use a double row, I did exactly that with my cucumber row and some squash; that's the row you see where my collards are in. It worked great and I'll have another double row next year. You'll have alot of fun with bale gardening.
Jeanette & alyrics - I'm hoping to get a polo shirt and a sweat shirt made up the same way with an additional script under the bale with either "Wake Forest, NC" or something else. Embroidery doesn't do well on a thin t-shirt; it tends to pull the fabric and make a wrinkle.
Kent
Alyrics, where did you get the San Marzano's seeds? I've been looking for a good paste tomato for next year. Plant files shows 4 different kinds of San Marzano.
Kent, why are you putting Wake Forest on them? Why would I wear one wiht that on it? Why aren't you printing rather than embroidery? You are getting into a lot of money now. Sweats or Tees should have the option of Vee neck or crew. Just my suggestions.
Jeanette
Jeanette,
Good questions.
I'm putting "Wake Forest, NC" only on MY shirt. Anyone else who wanted one would probably have their OWN town or location, or nothing at all. My friend, who does the shirts, can put whatever you want on most anything you want.
Screen printing or heat transfers are great, but it costs to get a design set up, etc. Embroidery was an easier choice for me at the moment. I got the disc that makes the Bale logo for only $10.
I'm not trying to get into a commercial or mass-produced venture. Just throwing out some ideas. A cap was the first thing that got done since I wear them all the time.
KR
Oldklingon - I love that screen name - laugh every time.
I got the San Marzano plants from my local nursery. I think I posted before but there were some Mexican guys that came looking at the nursery for San Marzano specifically because that is what they use for salsa. They said this tomato is hard to find. The owner told me about it later. Those San Marzano's are keepers. They have almost no liquid in them at all and few seeds. The tomato meat is about 3/4 of an inch thick along the walls of the fruit. I am saving some seed for next year and hoping they didn't cross pollinate with other tomato varieties near them. They ripened a bit later than the Roma's next to them so hopefully they are pure.
Wow I don't know how I missed this thread but loved the article of you in either my elec. co-op Mag. or Farm Bureau mag which ever it was. I am considering trying this out. I live in Raleigh but we have a place on the coast.
It was a real interesting consept and seemed so easy to take care of once you got it going.
Lavina
Lavina,
My grandmother's name was Levina.
The article you probably read was from the Elec. Co-Op, Carolina Country magazine. You can see it at www.carolinacountry.com, March 2006 issue. They said they wanted to do an update with more photos in the March 2007 issue.
I think you'll like bale gardening. It's different, fun, and it works.
I'm still getting folks who stop by to see my garden who shake their heads in wonder and disbelief. They've heard me talk about bale gardening, but just can't comprehend it fully until they see it in person.
alyrics: I still love the t-shirt idea, especially a nice 4-color version, but I had a heck of a time trying to get something worked up, which never panned out.
I think if I had a decent drawing/paint program I could work something up, but then the screen print or heat transfer companies want about $75 for a set up fee, etc.
Kent
Kent all you have to do is take a digital photo and have a color printer.
You can create your written logo in Word and paste the photo onto a Word Document. You print the page onto photo transfer paper that you can buy at Office Max, JoAnn Fabrics, other craft stores. Then you iron the photo onto a T-shirt.
I know you can do that Alyrics. I just didn't know how. Kent you need to do a trademark of the logo for us so we all can use the same one and then we can add our town, state, school, etc.????
Or something.
Jeanette
alyrics: I have seen what you're referring to and for some reason I didn't buy a pack of that special paper. It seems like I was concerned about how well the transfer would stay on the shirt through wash cycles, etc. But, it's probably worth a try with a decent photo.
And, you're not limited with just 1 photo as you would be in a 1-of-a-kind drawing.
Hmm, and maybe a real photo transferred on a t-shirt would be even better. Adds more realism/believeability.
By the way, I had an email earlier from a new bale gardener who wrote me with a question. And she referred to me as "Dr. Rogers".
I had to laugh and then thought maybe I can earn an honorary "Ph.B" - Doctorate in Baleology :-)
KR
Jeanette: the bale I used is not something I can trademark.
I guess if I had a business or we all formed some sort of formal, non-profit "Bale Gardener's Association" that incorporated a bale, etc, we could probably trademark the whole logo, but it's only a guess. We're probably not going in that direction.
I can't remember the company I got the bale logo from, but it's in a thick book of hundreds and hundreds of pre-made, embroidery items that this company has already worked up. Anyone can buy the disc of that bale that tells the embroidery machine how to stitch it.
I'd be glad to find out and then anyone can get their local folks to stitch them out a cap, shirt, whatever. This company is probably already used by alot of people all over the country.
KR
costs money to trademark. Do you think somebody will steal our logo?
I think a light green T-shirt with a photo of a planted bale on it would be great. But I think we should have an early season photo because my bales are sinking ships at this point.
I know someone who makes up embroidery logo's very reasonably, about $7 per 1000 stitches. They did one for me for my sons logo. Which I put on various items for him, I was very please with the result. As to design - How about a little model Kent standing on a straw bale with a plant in his hand! Then you can have a colour choice of T shirt. If you want any further info about getting them made up send a d mail to me.
alyrics: since it was my day off, I decided to try the iron-on, do-it-yourself transfers you mentioned. I purchased a pack of 18 Avery t-shirt transfers for about $23 at Staples.
I then bought a pack of new t-shirts at Wal-mart and washed & dried them.
I then fired up WORD on my computer and played around for a little bit. I used a photo of my collards and this is what I came up with on my 1st try.
Bottom Portion says: No weeding, No hoeing, No tilling
I got part of the transfer a little too hot with the iron and produced some slight scorch marks.
I'll get the hang of it after a time or two, but I'm VERY pleased at the results.
With a better graphics program you can really come up with some good stuff.
Plus at www.avery.com, you can use their canned software and artwork for other projects.
Kent
This message was edited Oct 2, 2006 8:06 PM
I LOVE IT !!!!!!
You are so funny Kent. I can't believe you spent your day off creating a T-shirt. That is just great.
I want Tomatoes on mine and I love the No Weeding ( I just typed No Wedding ) , No Hoeing, No Tilling - very original
Bigger photo please
I really like that Kent. And the tomato idea is great Alyrics. Very distinct. But, why not just take a picture of what you have growing now? Wonder if they look good enough. Think I will look tomorrow.
Jeanette